Praise of the first chapter of the Gita

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Bhagavan said, " Oh beloved, Susarma was an evil human. He was the

most evil of the evils. He was born into a family of Brahmins, who

did not know the Vedas, and indulged in heinous acts. Susarma never

did Tapasya or Dhyana nor he did any Homa. He never entertained his

guests. Since he was of a passionate disposition, spent his entire

time in pleasing his senses.

 

He tilled his field, and made a life by selling leaves .He was also a

habitual consumer of toddy. That ignorant Susarma, once was roaming

inside the garden of a saint when a serpent bit him and he died.

Then, he went to various hells and was born as a bull. An invalid

man bought that bull for his convenience. That bull spent its life

painfully carrying the invalid for most of its life.

 

One day, that invalid man, took the bull into a very steep route for

a very long distance. It became very exhausted and fell down

unconscious. Soon there was a curious crowd around it. A noble man

among them, gave the fruits of his deeds as offering to the bull. A

prostitute was also among the crowd. She could not remember any good

deed of hers but , still made a gesture of offering like the others

in the crowd.

 

The bull breathed its last and was take to Lord Yama's court.. They

realized that the bull became a blessed being after the prostitute's

offering. So they left it take another birth without going to any

hell. This time it was born as a bull in a holy and disciplined

family of Brahmin. But it retained its memories of its previous

birth. It went to the prostitute and after explaining about the

events, asked , `what punya did you offer me ?'

 

The woman replied, " I used to listen to a parrot which said something

I did not understand. But it was something good. I offered the fruits

of that act only to you " . Then they both went to the caged parrot and

asked what it said all those days. The parrot after an effort,

remembered its previous birth and said, ` I was born as a learned man

but became proud of my learning. My behaviour made even noble gurus

to despise me. In the course of time, I died and passed into

despicable worlds and came into this world. Since, I insulted noble

gurus, I was born as a parrot. Since I was a cursed sinner, I lost my

parent birds and was about to die on a hot summer day.

 

Then I was rescued by a saint who took me to his ashram. They put me

into a cage. His sons took good care of me. Daily they used to chant

the Gita. I also started to repeat what they said. I was stolen by a

hunter who sold me to this lady. The verses I used to repeat were

from the first chapter of the Gita and due to that I washed my sins.

This prostitute lady also attained purity through hearing this. From

that the soul of Susarma also washed his sins.

 

Thus, they , started in praise of the first chapter of the Gita and

also chanting it always by memorizing it. They all attained supreme

gnana through this act alone. For all those who recite this first

chapter of Gita alone, crossing the ocean of birth and death is easy

indeed.